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The hobby

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By Helen Lee Gray
So, do you have a hobby?  Not me, I don't, but I'm trying to get one....trouble is, I'm actually not that good at anything.  Despite still wanting to be a pop star (what do you mean 37 is too old even for Louis Walsh's X Factor group?), I cannot sing (didn't stop Two Shoes I know).   I cannot draw, cannot paint, cannot dance (well on my own it's fine, put me with a partner and there is a danger they won't come out with both feet), I cannot sew, I dig up things when I garden and kill trees....do you get the idea?

I know that at the start of a hobby you cannot be good at it from the beginning, but surely you need to have a flair?  Something which sparks and you think 'wow I'm enjoying this, I could really get into this'.  Alas, alas as yet that spark has not hit.  More Edwina Curry than Alex Jones (Strictly fans, that one is for you).

I recall, when I was about 11 painting a picture of our apple tree, at the time I thought it was great, looking back, well it was a poor effort!   My Mum is brilliant with arts and crafts, patience I think is important, but she does not have my dyspraxia (well I'm on the spectrum somewhere).  She makes cards...I tried, I was rubbish and I got bored - and it's really expensive!

I know that people play sport, but I'm pretty bad at that too! Peter is into darts at the moment (don't ask).

I've just made some napkins out of material bought in the bargain basement....it took bloomin' hours, the sewing is not pretty - yes I used a sewing machine!  The sense of achievement of creating something was overrun by the sheer joy of finishing it and not having to use the sewing machine again (why are they so fiddly?).

I like to bake, but cake makes you fat - well it does if you then eat all you create and quite frankly if I'm a-baking it, I wanna be a-eating it!

I made Peter watch Kristie’s Home Made Christmas the other night.  I got inspired, I made a Christmas wreath and dried my orange slices to make my glitter decorations...but after that, really I don't think I can cope with an embroidery needle on the borrowed sewing machine (it was hard enough doing a zig zag). Also, despite it being homemade crafts it is really expensive to do all of this stuff.  And I don't need shelves and shelves of nick nacks that are too bad to be given in gifts but I'm too proud of to throw away!

I tried crochet last year....does anyone want some jersey....after unpicking it all for the 1000th time I gave up!
So, with these past failures in my mind I have started to knit.  Now in the past I can claim to have knitted a number of items - all straight lines though!   But flushed with past success I have embarked on a knitting project.   So, off I went to Jackie’s for a knitting lesson - how to correct mistakes, how to change colour, how to pearl stitch (who'd have thought it was that simple).   So, I made a hat (straight edges but look at the pattern).   I made another hat for a neighbour (Peter calls it a tea cosy, and it does have a resemblance).


Next lesson needs to be in how to follow a pattern, how to work out my tension (maths never a strong point) and how to decrease and increase.  Poor Jackie, patience of a saint I think is the phrase!

So, my new project...it’s a throw for the bed.  Straight lines again, but a nice big project to keep me going in these cold winter nights.  However, a week in and I've realised just how big a throw will be - yep ffffing enormous.  Two squares in.....a zillion to follow.  And it's going to cost a small fortune in yarn.  But I intend to keep going, just as soon as this shoulder injury from repetitive strain injury from the knitting abates! 


Comments

  1. the artistDecember 17, 2011 at 6:44 AM

    DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ana TJanuary 29, 2012 at 2:07 PM

    AH AH AH AH AH AH AH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Very good...
    Well, the intentions are good and you made me laugh...

    ReplyDelete

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